Our Fitness Blog

Are You an Empowered Woman?

I don’t vacuum in high heels or anything, but, I do still vividly recall finding my power as a woman. The contrast is, I can still remember myself when I was definitely NOT powerful. I had lost all sense of who I was. It was about 11 years ago. My daughter was 4.

Let me backtrack a little before even that. I grew up with fitness as a part of my life. You know what’s next…… it was Jane Fonda videos in my living room!

Well, for some reason, after motherhood, I forgot who that girl was. Meaning, myself! I really let myself go. (Analyze that term and it goes deeper than just not wearing lipstick to the grocery store anymore…..you’ll find a person whose let her true self go away.) I stopped eating healthy. I stopped exercising. I gained weight! It wasn’t baby weight either. That excuse can only work for a few short months! I was at my heaviest. At 5 foot 2 inches it doesn’t take much to look like a small hippo….but, anyway. I remember something igniting a renewed fire for working out again and I had an awakening, thinking…. “Why have I done this to myself all these years?” It was almost like I’d been in some kind of trance for those years. I felt heavy, I was depressed and definitely NOT being true to myself.

I went out, bought a new set of VHS tapes (yep, tapes!) and popped them into my VCR. I almost died. I distinctly remember the host of the video saying this with a big ol’ smile on her face: “If this is too easy, you can pick up some 10 lb weights in each hand and make it a bit tougher.”

I literally wanted to smack her through the screen.

I will never forget thinking, “What is WRONG with her? Who in the world could possibly add weights to this move?!” And I’m pretty sure I also thought…”I hate her!” ;)

Here’s the beautiful part: in TWO short weeks, I was buying me a set of 10 lb dumbbells b/c my body had responded that quickly and I was noticeably stronger. I was AMAZED with my progress. The power that surged through me was familiar and yet new at the same time. I had felt strong before, but not THIS strong.

I was empowered.

I was mentally a different person and I was flying high. I have never come back down. I have NEVER stopped working out since.

Here’s another twist on my story: these were aerobic tapes with a popular piece of equipment included, (the step) and lots of jumping, lunging, etc. and some dumb bells also. But,they incorporated a few sections of kicking and punching into the air. At that time, I had never done this type of moves before.

On a personal note, these particular moves were MORE THAN FITNESS MOVES for me at that time in my life. I was dealing with quite a few challenging changes in my life, and I noticed these exercise moves really helped relieve my stress! They also were the moves that made me feel the strongest!

Fast forward a couple of years, and this experience was what attracted me to take karate with my daughter. We both ended up getting our black belts, but even better, it’s how I met my husband, Shannon “the Cannon” (oh, you’ve heard of him?) and it’s what made co-founding 9Round Fitness such an intensely passionate journey for me! I have loved every minute of the evolution of 9Round 30 Minute Kickbox Fitness with him.

It’s NO SECRET to me why we have so many female members across the country. Women may not realize how amazing punching and kicking will make them feel MENTALLY, with the ADDITIONAL benefit of getting them in the best shape of their lives! I’ll be honest, I was in “good shape” before we opened our first 9Round Club…..I THOUGHT!!!!!!

Boy, was I DEAD WRONG!

I might have been in shape, but not 9ROUND SHAPE! I have taken my fitness to a level I never dreamed was possible with 9Round. After two kids, I am in better shape than I was before I had ANY kids. No lie. Why the difference? I just didn’t have a structured, fun, do-able program to follow before 9Round. What I also didn’t have was a trainer pushing me harder than I thought I could go, and holding me accountable, which has made all the difference!

I know that any woman out there, who feels down at all about her body, or just feels down about herself period, will benefit from the experience of a successful fitness journey. We have that for you at 9Round. The best part is you do not need to be in any kind of shape to get started, we will take you there. And if you already are in amazing shape, we will take you farther! I guarantee it. Try us out, you won’t regret it!

This is my before & after just to prove that 9Round’s first success story was ME!

Heather Hudson has been with 9Round since inception in 2008 and is COO and Co-Founder of 9Round Franchising. She is a black belt in Shotokan Karate and grew up with a passion for fitness and overall wellness.